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Electricity and water don’t mix. Pretty basic, I know. And, I bet you already knew that. I had the “opportunity” to know it from more than just an academic standpoint recently. After a day trip to Springfield, we returned home to find more than five inches and twenty-five hundred gallons of water in our basement. […]

Typically, this column focuses on technology with only minor deviations here and there to discuss other similar topics. But, under all of that technology lies a driving force that provides the power behind what we have come to know as the modern age. I’m writing, of course, about electricity. And, in an effort to better […]

It’s been a few months since I answered reader questions in print. Don’t worry, though! I still try to answer as many as possible that are e-mailed and/or left on the website. There are times when I just can’t get to them all, or when a situation is too complicated for an answer without first […]

Hopefully you had a merry Christmas. I’m betting that many of you received some kind of electronic gadget as a present. I know there were quite a few of them in my own household. For those of you who received a smart phone as a gift, I wanted to take a moment and point out […]

Recently, I attended a unique event in Effingham. The purpose of the event was to bring together manufacturers and educational institutions with the goal of aligning available jobs with school programs. Now, usually I take time in this column to focus on computer issues, or even “how-to” technology advice, but if you will forgive me […]

Last month we ended the conversation on Facebook security settings with a discussion of the code generator. If you missed last month, then take a moment and visit www.icl.coop and click on Powered Up to get caught up. Otherwise, you may find yourself slightly lost this month. At any rate, once you decide whether or […]

It has been awhile since this column discussed Facebook security settings. With all the cloud security talk going on these days, it’s probably a good time to revisit the subject. After all, Facebook seems to change the way its interface works on a regular basis. First, you should know Facebook categorizes security and privacy as […]

Last month, you read about how the “cloud” was not something to fear. In fact, you probably use cloud services right now. Like most issues though, there are two sides to the story. While you shouldn’t fear using cloud-based services and storage, you should in fact exercise some caution. This month, we will take a […]

Just the other day I was having a conversation with a friend over “cloud” computing, and her expressed fear of the technology surprised me. After we talked a bit, it became evident her biggest concern was simply not understanding what the “cloud” was, or how it functioned. After all, the news is quick to point […]

Speaking as a father, I have always struggled with finding a balance between ensuring my children have access to technology, while also maintaining a healthy amount of “outside time.” After all, my generation grew up without phones, computers and tablets, and we somehow survived. Still, parents these days find themselves faced with the dilemma of […]